much ado about 'strategy breaks'...

shared by straight point on Wednesday, April 22, 2009

not only strategy breaks have given some extra moolah to ipl but it seems they have also armed bowlers with an extra helping hand...though unintentionally...

we all know how loaded cricket has become in the favor of batsmen…especially T20 where bowlers are perceived to be there to make up for numbers...or as feeder lines for hitting fours and sixes almost at will...

the boundaries are getting shorter...bowlers are being penalized heavily...like for bowling front foot no balls…the bats are not only getting meatier but double sided as well...batsman can switch hit anytime he wants to…what else they want in their favor...?

in a way these breaks have offered some sort of challenge to batsmen...now they will have to counter...how to keep the momentum going coming out of bit of cold...but alas...rather than accepting it as challenge they have already started complaining about it...

no wonder the most noise against ‘strategy breaks’ are coming from the (batting) teams those have suffered ‘momentum’...


no points for guessing my advice to these whining teams...

just shut up...go there and confront it...will you...?

33 comments:

Poshin_david said...

The break is all comercialism and is not for the beterment of cricket. In the 7 mins break 5 mins. are devoted for comercials. and a commercial for 5 sec costs Rs.3 Lakhs. Thats 90 lakhs a innings and 1.8 cores a match. The bating team loses momentum like CSK did against Bangalore but like u said just face it head on.

straight point said...

yes...head on is better word...thanks CSD...

Vyom said...

Well I am not at all in favour of these breaks. They are just rubbish. T20 cricket got famous for providing non-stop exciting action.
The only thing these breaks do is stop the flow of the game. You have to wait for those stupid 7 and half minutes to get over.

I know these breaks are to get more adds into the mix, but this is not the way to go at all. Let us hope they get scrapped asap

straight point said...

i will shed some lights on commerce part of it too...but that's another post...

what i am trying to say that now they are in place why not confront them head on...rather than whining...?

Soulberry said...

So far people haven't found any use fpr it. From a spectator's point of view, I don't mind...evening matches are easily interrupted at home...an official break ensures cricket is not missed.

Players might find something useful to do by and by.

straight point said...

thanks sb...so at last i am able to find something worthy related to SBs...? ;-))

i am sure when it will be their turn to enjoy breaks (opposition wicket's falling) they won't complain as much...though i agree it will take some time to getting used to of this time outs...

Kinka said...

these break are neither for batsman nor for bowler, its only to make money... but ultimately players are loosing his concentration in between. after success of ipl research on it,
sooner we will see the same try out in ODIs also...

straight point said...

do you know a drink breaks lasts longer in an ODI kinka...?

rs said...

As a fan, I now switch off at 9th over and come back 11th over or so. I have not heard any one say that they actually watch the match during the break. How does it help the advertisers?

Secondly, it is how it is forced at the 10 over. When the CSK the team was going so strongly, I am sure RCB would have preferred to take the break a few overs earlier. Or perhaps the bowlers want to break it at the 13th over. Not sure how it helps the bowler directly.

Also Fleming mentioned that there is nothing much to talk about in 7 mins - the first 2 are okay after that it is just a pause for them.

If I was at the stadium, the 7 mins in Chennai hot and humid weather will not be fun. ODIs and tests need a pause because of the length of the matches...

And how Modi masks it as something for "speeding" up the game is perhaps the largest irritant.

Kinka said...

SP my assumption.. besides drinks...

straight point said...

RS...you must have noticed in some games that a wicket or two were lost as soon as the game resumed after the time out...batsmen are finding it bit difficult to regain the same momentum straight away and hence are losing/throwing wickets away...

so that way it has helped bowlers...though indirectly...

with time teams will learn to utilise the break...rather than wasting their energy whining about it...

aside...now i know you wont turn up for odi or test in chennai heat... ;-))

straight point said...

kinka...there is no limit on assumptions...and good news is that it still doesn't get taxed by govt. either... ;-))

rs said...

sp: it can be shorter given T-20 itself is reduced. Agreed there is a disruption of momentum, but perhaps it should be team controlled.

And it has been several years since I saw an ODI/test live -- nearly went for the Sehwag innings against England (regret missing it) -- but honestly taking time off from work to watch a match is not that easy.

straight point said...

me too...rs...the experience was so bad that i think twice before going to stadium and than decide against it... :)

tho i am bit more open for going in for test coz of relaxed atmosphere...

Kinka said...

now track has changed.
we cannot stop acts which involves tax etc....

straight point said...

so now i know that 'assumption' was coz of 'drinks'...hahhaha...

Anonymous said...

I do agree with you SP, in the sense that since there is no real way they can change it for this IPL, they need to adapt. But I'm all for it if they keep moaning about it so that it doesn't continue into the next IPL. I eventually see three breaks every 5 overs which would be a disgrace.
Coming to ODIs and drink breaks, they take a break after an hour of play, which is reasonable. The whole idea of selecting 20 overs as against 15 or 25 was that it packed in the optimum number of overs for non stop excitement and got rid of delays like drinks breaks. 10 overs is 40 minutes, and a 7.5 break doesn't help anybody.
One thing I can recommend batsmen do, is pop over immediately to nets or some cleared area where they can just keep smashing the ball in preparation for the last ten overs. But thats lame and not all stadiums will have the extra facility.

Q said...

Its difficult to adapt to something like this.. but your right u gotta accept it.. but i tell u these administrators are ruining the game!

Amy said...

You can't blame the players for not liking it. It actually changes the outcome of the game.

But if it's going to be a permanent fixture, they will have to start dealing with it. It's a shame, though.

Anonymous said...

right now the teams who have had bitter side of it are crying foul. for ex Yuvraj Singh is least impressed with it.

we gotta go and see what neutrals have to say on it. and who else but the man himself.

Tendulkar feels its negative. so we have to take his word and say that scrap the time out!!

Anonymous said...

i just hope that strategic timeouts aint part of world t20 to follow next..

Som said...

Strategy Breaks should immediately be banned for the simple reason that it allows Arun Lal, with his ugly hairy chest peeping out of an unbuttoned shirt, pop on my screen. It's nauseating!

straight point said...

thanks A...

irrespective of time gap drink breaks occur in ODI's the point is more or less same that they have to start again...isn't it...

its just that there we or rather teams have accepted in mind and hence they are prepared for it...the sameway if teams accept it for IPL then they will start using it in more constructive way...and that's what i wanted to convey...

straight point said...

Q...why its difficult can you elaborate for me...

as for admins...a coach can ruin a team by making it guinea pig for weirdest of theories but just 7.5 minutes and they are ruining the game...funny isn't it...?

straight point said...

amy i tell you these players are just pampered lot...specially batters they want every thing laid on platter for them...slightest hint of 'challenge' and you find them crying like sissy babies...

straight point said...

sam...then no point of arguing it further once sachin has said anything... ;-)

straight point said...

no that's the most compelling reason to ban these time outs SOM...

i give it to you...take a bow som...

Q said...

SP, its difficult because its not something like a powerplay rule or a supersub rule or a fielding restriction - u can strategize around these rules...

A 7.5 minute break isn't something u can strategize for.. teams lose momentum and there's nothing u can do to adapt to that..

As for the coach - even they are controlled by the administrators.. if the adminsitrator wants they can give the captain more power.. so at the end of the day watever is ruined is by the administrator.

straight point said...

hmmm...q...

i think i have answered why the time-out can not be strategist...in response to achettup's comment...

i am pasting in full for your reference...

rrespective of time gap drink breaks occur in ODI's the point is more or less same that they have to start again...isn't it...

its just that there we or rather teams have accepted in mind and hence they are prepared for it...the sameway if teams accept it for IPL then they will start using it in more constructive way...and that's what i wanted to convey...

Q said...

SP, its different..

That way we can argue that a 45 minute lunch break or a 15 minute tea break in a test is also the same thing that players have accepted.

The thing is that firstly, drinks breaks in ODIs are not 7.5 minutes long. I think they are much less than that.. maybe 3 minutes, 4 at max.

Secondly, the breaks in ODIs happen in the 15th and the 30th over.. there's enough time for the batsmen and bowlers to get back into the groove, you know what i mean?

Thirdly, the whole point of 20-20 is fast paced aggressive cricket.. a 7.5 minute break breaks the entire momentum.. its only a 20 over game..

Finally, I don't think a 7.5 min break after 10 overs will be implemented in International 20-20 cricket, hence the playing regulations of the IPL will be different than those of T20Is.. Im not sure if thats good for the game. I think not.

The players have a right to complain, as do we :-)

straight point said...

exactly Q...when these breaks happen in ODIs it doesn't appear odd to us coz we are accustomed...coz from the very beginning we are seeing them and hence the mind set...of us as well as teams...

though i agree with you that players, bloggers and you too have rights to complain...as much as i have...to disagree with the notion against time outs... :)

Gaurav Sethi said...

i washed the dishes in today's break and other stuff i dare not mention in this PG blog

straight point said...

i washed the dishes in today's break and other stuff i dare not mention in this PG blogall this in 7.5m...??!! quite quick haan...!! ;-))

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